Our Personal Reflections

Our readers share their insights below:

I never pass up an opportunity to hold a baby. There is something about their smell, their ability to fold into my body, and their deep sigh as if to recognize a place of home, a place to be held, a place of belonging that brings me immeasurable peace. Isaiah desperately wants Israel to remember that God still holds them like a baby. "He gathers the lambs in his arms, and carries them close to his heart.." (verse 11). In a world that is desperately trying to manifest its own comfort, we need someone to scoop us up and hold us close. To sing lullabies in our ears. And I have to wonder if the thing we need most is to hear God's heartbeat for us. Recognizing just how close God is holding us. Then we can take a deep sigh as the world recognizes we are home in the arms of the One whose heart beats for us.

-Lisa Juica Perkins (MDiv’11), Frisco, Texas

+++

In this day of wanting an open avenue to all believers, why have you narrowed the window to only those with a smart phone and access to the internet. With the greying of our church members you have excluded a large part of the population. I realize that the student body has access to these elements but the body of the congregations may not. And this element of the population is a large part of your funding. I hate to see this disregard for a large group of members. Using technology to future the ministry is great just don’t exclude the generation that got us here.

Thanks for reading this.
Ray Jordan, St Andrew Presbyterian Church, Denton

+++

1 Corinthians 1:3-9
The twinkle of light caught me like never before. It had begun. Advent with the lighting of our first candle, the candle of hope. Lit by a fourth grader who’s goal was simply to not set the wreath on fire. It is difficult to focus sometimes and it was an overwhelming morning already for him. There were things out of place in a familiar place and it’s a lot to process. Yet, with precision, the candle of hope was lit with very little fanfare and answer to many prayers. Verse nine of Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth gives us all the hope we need this Advent. “God is faithful”…still. We needed that reminder and hope. Especially as this year feels extra weary with all that seems to have greater expectations than ever before. The hope of God remains faithful to us all. We simply need to hear and belief that God is faithful still. God is faithful to a fourth grader in all of his battles, to a congregation risking their lives for the gospel, and in a world that is deeply hurting.
-Lisa Juica Perkins (MDiv’11), Frisco, Texas